The long and winding road: Clemson football traveled far and wide to cap perfect season

What began on a balmy September afternoon against Furman concluded some 2,500 miles from Clemson in a stadium the San Francisco 49ers call home.

Expectations, already at a fever pitch following a third consecutive berth into the College Football Playoff in 2017, were lofty, and rightly so, buoyed by the return of multiple players who spurned the NFL draft for another chance at a title – defensive linemen Christian Wilkins, Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell as well as linebacker Kendall Joseph and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt.

Quarterback Kelly Bryant, who guided the Tigers to an 11-2 record as a junior, returned, as did a stable of running backs led by Travis Etienne and a deep pool of wide receivers led by Hunter Renfrow.

Clemson defensive back K'Von Wallace (12) reacts after the Tigers beat Alabama 44-16 to win the National Championship after the College Football Championship game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Monday, January 7, 2019.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

Their presence, along with an infusion of young talent headlined by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and wide receiver Justyn Ross, appeared to provide Clemson with an embarrassment of riches heading into the 2018 season.

Even 10th-year coach Dabo Swinney confessed as much in the preseason, saying his team – which entered the season ranked No. 2 behind Alabama in both major polls – possessed “more functional depth” than at any time in his tenure.

He was right.

Swinney played 13 first-year freshman in the Tigers’ 48-7 season-opening win against Furman, matching the program’s most in a game in history.

That trend continued throughout 2018. Six more first-year players would log game action by season’s end, pushing the total to a program-record 20.

While the season opener was a breeze, the Tigers were required to dig deep in two of the next four games to keep their perfect season intact.

Texas A&M

In Week 2, the Tigers traveled to College Station, Texas, for a clash with Texas A&M. The Aggies, under the guidance of first-year coach Jimbo Fisher, entered the game unranked but gave the Tigers all they could handle.

Clemson appeared to have a comfortable 21-6 lead with 4½ minutes left in the third quarter, but the Aggies rallied behind quarterback Kellen Mond, who passed for 430 yards with three touchdowns.

The Tigers got a rushing touchdown from Travis Etienne late in the third quarter, then hung for a 28-26 victory.

After handily dispatching of Georgia Southern (38-7), Clemson traveled to Georgia Tech, where freshman quarterback Lawrence began to make his mark. Making his college debut in his home state, the 6-foot-6 Lawrence entered the game in the second quarter and immediately awakened a sluggish Clemson offense, tossing four touchdown passes in a 49-21 victory.

Two days later, Swinney announced that Lawrence would replace Bryant as the Tigers’ starting quarterback for the Syracuse game. Another two days later, Bryant announced that he was transferring from the program.

Clemson quarterback Chase Brice (7) runs for 17 yards against Syracuse for a first down during the fourth quarter in Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 29, 2018.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff, )

The close call

Lawrence’s promotion and the subsequent fallout appeared as though it might immediately impact the Tigers when unbeaten Syracuse came to Death Valley on Sept. 29. Lawrence strained his neck on a hard hit along the sideline in the second quarter and did not return to the game.

Clemson struggled to find any offensive consistency, and with Lawrence out was forced to rely on its rushing game. Fortunately for the Tigers, Travis Etienne came up big, rushing for a career-high 203 yards, but it was reserve quarterback Chase Brice who came up with the key plays down the stretch.

Brice connected with Tee Higgins for 20 yards and a first down on a fourth-and-six play, then followed with a 17-yard run in the final minute to set up Etienne’s 2-yard touchdown run with 41 seconds remaining in a 27-23 victory.

“This one will rank up there with the biggest wins I’ve ever had,” Swinney said. “Some people say it’s just the fifth game of the year. It’s more than that because I saw a team grow up. I saw a team stand up for each other and have each other’s back and just not quit.”

Midseason mismatches

Clemson apparently gleaned plenty of confidence from the comeback win against Syracuse, because the Tigers promptly embarked on a six-game, midseason rampage in which they outscored Wake Forest, N.C. State, Florida State, Louisville, Boston College and Duke by a combined 302-49.

Against Wake Forest, Etienne, Adam Choice and Lyn-J Dixon each rushed for more than 100 yards and Clemson amassed 698 yards of offense in a 63-3 rout.

Two weeks later, on Oct. 21, an undefeated N.C. State rolled into town and promptly was run out of town. Clemson played 54 players – in the first quarter.

The Tigers led 24-0 at halftime and Lawrence had the first 300-yard passing game of his career in a 41-7 victory.

Florida State became Clemson’s next victim, in Tallahassee, Florida, no less. Lawrence threw four touchdown passes in a 59-10 romp, and the Tigers’ 49-point margin of victory tied for the most lopsided defeat in Florida State history and was the worst home loss ever absorbed by the Seminoles.

“I thought when I signed up to Florida State I would never lose like this in my life,” FSU defensive tackle Marvin Wilson said.

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino likely thought the same thing the next week while watching Clemson pulverize his Cardinals, 77-16.

The Tigers then put the finishing touches on an unbeaten Atlantic Coast Conference season with wins at Boston College (27-7), which gave Clemson its school-record eighth consecutive season with 10 or more victories, and Duke (35-6).

Five in a row

Clemson capped the seventh undefeated regular season in program history with a 56-35 win against rival South Carolina, its fifth consecutive victory in the series.

“They’ve been playing football here for a long time, and to be 12-0 is really special,” Swinney said. “Unbelievable accomplishment by our team and we were able to obviously do something that not many people in this room have seen in our lifetime and that’s to win five in a row in your state championship. That’s a rare thing. It’s been 78 years since we’ve done that here at Clemson.”

The Tigers’ defense surrendered 510 yards and five touchdowns passing to Gamecocks quarterback Jake Bentley, but it mattered little as Clemson’s offense rang up 744 yards – the fourth-highest total in school history.

Lawrence passed for a career-high 393 yards, 142 of which went to Tee Higgins, while Etienne rumbled for 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Clemson wide receiver Justyn Ross (8) runs by Alabama defensive back Jared Mayden (21) for a touchdown during the first quarter of the College Football Championship at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California Monday, January 7, 2019.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

Another title

Etienne kept the hot hand the following week, scoring on a 75-yard run on Clemson’s first play to set the tone in a 42-10 victory against Pitt in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.

Etienne finished with 156 yards on only 12 carries as the Tigers won their fourth consecutive ACC title and wrapped up a fourth consecutive berth into the College Football Playoff.

“It’s special,” Swinney said. “It’s what this year’s been all year. It has been a historic year.”

It was about to get better.

The Playoffs

Clemson continued to flex its muscle in the College Football Playoffs, cruising to a 30-3 victory against previously undefeated Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.

The Tigers’ young stars shined again as Lawrence passed for 327 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring strikes of 52 and 42 yards to Ross.

Clemson’s defense sacked Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book six times and held the Fighting Irish to 248 total yards.

“This is what we came here to do,” Swinney said. “This senior group won their 54th game and they’re going back to their third national championship (game) in four years.”

On Jan. 7, Clemson vs. Alabama Part IV unfolded in Santa Clara, California, at Levi’s Stadium, and the seniors maximized their opportunity by recording win No. 55 of their careers – matching Alabama’s seniors as the winningest in the history of college football over a four-year period.

Clemson claimed its second national title in three years by dominating the game, winning 44-16 and dealing Alabama coach Nick Saban the worst defeat of his career with the Crimson Tide.

Lawrence passed for 347 yards with three touchdowns; Ross had six catches for 153 yards and a score as the Tigers won for the 13th time by a margin of 20 points or more and became the first 15-0 team of the modern era.

Lawrence, meanwhile, became just the second starting freshman quarterback to guide his team to a national title since Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway in 1985.

“Our guys had a clear vision of how they wanted this to go tonight,” Swinney said. “It was a complete performance all the way through.”

The bulk of Clemson’s defense will be missing next year thanks to graduation, completion of eligibility and/or the lure of the NFL draft, but the offense will return largely intact, which is expected to surround the program with lofty expectations once again.

And Swinney is embracing the challenge.

“I can’t wait to get back Friday,” Swinney said after the championship game. “And get started and see if we can do it all over again.”